


The Best Time of the Year

by hallelujah99



Series: Fatherhood [2]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluffyfest, Future Fic, Hanukkah, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-27 22:50:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19799380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hallelujah99/pseuds/hallelujah99
Summary: Sequel to Just Another Day in Paradise. Cyrus, TJ and their two children are headed to Cyrus's mother's house to celebrate Hanukkah and share some good news.





	The Best Time of the Year

“Have a holly jolly Christmas…” Emory sings along to the radio from the back seat and Cyrus rolls his eyes. “We’re on our way to a Hanukkah celebration, Emory, come on!” he says, only loud enough so that TJ can hear it. 

“Sweetheart you sing so nice, I bet Bubbe would love it if you sang that when we get there!” TJ says to his daughter, earning him a look from Cyrus. It was, of course, all in good fun. “Hey, play the dreidel song for her, she likes that one, too!” “I know, I just…I wish there were more Hanukkah songs.” “I know, babe.” TJ replied. 

Emory was very excited about Christmas, not only did she love all the songs about it, her playgroup friends were always talking about it, the mall had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland, and just about everyone who spoke to her asked what she was asking Santa to bring her. Of course, Cyrus thought it was adorable and wonderful to watch her eyes light up about the excitement of Christmas, and he was more than happy to take her to see Santa, make cookies with her, and fill up her stocking when the time came. Still, it hurt a little bit that she didn’t seem equally excited to light the menorah and eat latkes. Luckily, TJ was well aware of this issue, and had come up with the genius idea of buying her a toy menorah and a “special Hanukkah dress” and a to wear for the night, which immediately boosted her interest in the celebration. He just hoped she would be able to keep her excitement up for all eight days. 

As TJ pulls the car into the driveway of Cyrus’s mom’s house, Leslie comes running out the door towards the car. “Where are my sweet grandbabies!” Before TJ can even turn the car off, Leslie is pulling at the door to the backseat. TJ flips it unlocked and Leslie grabs Emory, who can now unbuckle herself, and pulls her close. “Oh my sweet Emory! Bubbe missed you so much!” “Missed you, too!” Emory replies, holding her grandmother close. 

“What about me?” Cyrus asks, from behind her. “Oh you know you’re always gonna be my baby boy.” She tells him, setting Emory down so she can hug her son. “Don’t forget about us!” TJ jokes, coming around the side of the car with Easton on his hip. “I could never forget my favorite bonus son!” Leslie replies, wrapping an arm around TJ, before taking Easton into her arms and cooing over him, attempting to get him to say “Bubbe.”

It brings TJ back for a second, to a day about 16 years earlier. TJ had come over to this very house to drop off the eight presents he’d bought for Cyrus for their first Hanukkah as boyfriends. As he walked up to the house he’d approached so many times before, he felt terrified, as he knew that the night before, Cyrus had come out to his mom. Everything had gone well, he’d been assured, but he was still nervous. His hand shook as he rang the doorbell, and he had been immediately greeted by an ever-enthusiastic Leslie Goodman. “TJ Kippen! What a surprise! Well, not so much of a surprise, though. I always knew, you know? A mother just knows her baby boy, and well, I knew Cyrus was gay since he was three years old. And I knew you were something special to him long before last night.” She winked at him then, while he stood there, dumbfounded. “Now get inside before you freeze!”

“Can we go inside, I’m cold!” Emory announces. “Yes, you go inside with Bubbe, Daddy and I will grab the presents!” Cyrus tells her. Leslie takes the kids inside while TJ and Cyrus head to the trunk to grab the presents. As TJ pops the trunk open, Cyrus wraps his arms around him from behind and reaches around to gently kiss his face. “What’s that for?” He asks. “Cuz you’re my husband, and I love you.” Cyrus replies simply. “And I’m excited. But a little nervous.” TJ turns around in Cyrus’s arms to hug him close. “I know you’re nervous but I’ll be with you the whole time. It’s gonna be awesome.” He tells him, while giving him little kisses on the top of his head. He never tells him “you have nothing to be nervous about,” he understands Cyrus’s anxiety and after 17 years, has mastered the supportive partner role. Cyrus smiles and nods, reassured, at least partially, and helps TJ carry in the presents. 

The rest of the night is a whirlwind of Cyrus’s aunts, uncles, and cousins cooing over Emory and Easton-the only little ones in the family, everyone asking all sorts of questions.

“Can he talk yet?” “He can say Daddy, Papa, Emmy and ball.”

“When is she starting preschool?” “She’ll start a part time program in the fall.”

“Are you vaccinating?” “Yes, yes we’re vaccinating. How could you think even for a second we’d do something like not vaccinate our children? That’s really backwards.”

After Cyrus’s extended family leaves, it’s time for gifts. Leslie and Norman gift TJ and Cyrus with little bags of chocolate coins. It’s a nice gesture, and based somewhat in tradition, but Cyrus is a little confused as usually his mom splurges a little more on a gift for him. After an awkward moment where Cyrus looks around for signs of another gift for him, Leslie laughs. “I know it’s not much, but I actually coordinated with your father and Sharon and chipped in for that gift, so you’ll get it when you’re over there next week.” “What is it?” Cyrus asks, excitedly. The last time his parents had coordinated a gift together, he and TJ had ended up with a brand new car. Yes, even at thirty years old, he was still a little spoiled. “You’ll just have to wait and see!” Leslie replies, uncarhaceristically secretive. 

“Can I open my present now?” Emory asks, preventing Cyrus from grilling his mom further about this mystery gift-and he knew he could get her to spill the beans, as there’s nothing his mom likes doing more. But, it was time to focus on his daughter and giving her a wonderful holiday. Emory opens a beautiful little gold necklace and immediately tries unsuccessfully to put it on, while her Bubbe tells her the exciting news that she’s sending her home seven more presents to open over the following days. Her excitement is so adorable that TJ and Cyrus almost forget to give Leslie her present. 

When Cyrus hands his mom her present, TJ slyly takes out his phone and holds it so that he can video tape the opening. She rips the paper carefully, opening only one edge and sliding it off, almost as if she’s trying to preserve it. She opens the box and stares for a second, taking in what she’s seeing. It’s a set of four connected picture frames, the first picture being one of TJ and Cyrus, the second of Emory, the third of Easton, and finally, a frame with a little sonogram of their next baby, with a little note that read “Can’t wait to meet you in June! Love you, Bubbe!” After her moment of silence, Leslie begins yelling excitedly “Another baby! Oh my goodness, you two!!” She stands straight up, the frame falling from lap on to the floor, miraculously not breaking. “Oh I just can’t believe it! A third baby!” she can hardly contain herself and she pulls TJ and Cyrus into a group bear hug. “Oh my, oh my! You two!”

“Bubbe, why are you yelling?” Emory asks. “You’re gonna be a big sister, again!” Leslie tells her. Emory looks at her quizzically. “I’m already a big sister. Easton is my little brother.” Leslie laughs. “Daddy and Papa are having another baby!” “I know?” replies Emory, still not understanding her grandmother’s excitement. 

“She’s still coming around.” TJ explains. At Emory’s age, it was difficult to wait for things, especially for several months, so TJ and Cyrus did their best not to make Emory overly interested in the baby just yet. Unfortunately, at Leslie’s age, it seemed it was also difficult to wait for the baby to come. She fired off questions, not even waiting for answers.

“How long have you known? Is Emma carrying for you again? Is she showing yet? Are you going to wait til birth to find out the sex again? Are you planning to-” she cut herself off with a gasp. “What about your vacation?”

“What vacation?” Cyrus asked, looking at TJ, who looked just as confused. “That’s your Hanukkah gift!” Leslie admitted, seemingly uncaring that she was spoiling the surprise. “We were going to pay for you guys to go to England for a week.” The guys smile. “Guess we’ll have to put it off a year, but we really appreciate it. It will be so awesome to go back there, thank you, mom.” He hugs his mother again while she whispers to him how much she loves him and how excited she is for the new baby. 

Once all of Leslie’s burning questions are answered, the family packs into the car and heads home. “Well that went pretty well, I’d say.” TJ remarks to Cyrus as they headed out of Shadyside. “Yeah. Can’t believe they’re going to send us to England. Remember that little keychain I got for you the first time I went? Back in middle school?” “Of course I do! It’s in that dark red box in the basement. I’d never get rid of something from you.” TJ leans over and quickly kisses Cyrus on the cheek. “No distracting the driver!” Cyrus replies, smiling, as every surprise kiss from his husband still makes him smile. “What can I say, I live on the edge.” TJ replies. “Well let’s try to live closer to the middle when our children are in the car.” Cyrus replies with a smirk. 

Cyrus pulls into their own garage and the men get the kids out of the car. “I know it’s a little early but do you think we should get them in the bath and try to get them down? They’re looking kinda sleepy.” Cyrus says to TJ. “I’m not sleepy!” Emory protests, running towards her toy kitchen in an effort to prove herself and possibly delay her bedtime. “Well you heard the lady, she’s not sleepy!” TJ jokes to Cyrus, they both know Emory will claim not to be sleepy when her eyes are already have closed-she had done it the previous night as they read her her eighth bedtime story of the night. “But for real…” TJ says, checking his phone quickly and smiling. “Okay, for real, there’s just one quick thing before we can start getting them ready.” 

“What’s that?” Cyrus asked. “Well, I know how much it bothers you that there’s no good Hanukkah songs, so….” TJ slides over to the front door, revealing Bowie Mack, a guitar in hand. 

“Kippmans! Happy Hanukkah!” He says with a grin.

“What did you do?” Cyrus looks at TJ, who only replies with a small laugh. He opens the door for Bowie and leads them into the living room. Bowie begins strumming his guitar and singing the song TJ had commissioned for Cyrus, a simple, but very catchy song about Hanukkah. By the end, Emerson and Emory are running around the living room and Emory is singing along. Cyrus wipes away a tear as he watches his kids so excited for the holiday. As Bowie plays the final chords of the song, Cyrus leans over to kiss TJ and thank him. 

“I sent a recording of it to TJ a few hours ago, so now you’ll be able to play it whenever you want.” Bowie tells Cyrus, and he beams as he imagines singing along with his family to their own little Hanukkah song while doing something as simple as driving to the grocery store. They talk to Bowie for a little bit before Easton begins to whine, alerting his parents to his tired state. 

After getting both kids bathed, both sets of teeth brushed, and both kids cuddled, read to, and finally asleep, TJ and Cyrus flop onto the couch. “Happy Hanukkah, my love.” TJ says to Cyrus as he takes him into his arms and kisses the top of his head. “Happy Hanukkah, baby.” Cyrus replies.

“You wanna watch a movie?” TJ asks, turning on the TV. “Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s watch Elf.” “A Christmas movie?” “Well there’s not many good Hanukkah movies.” 

As Cyrus settles into his arms and the opening credits to Elf roll, TJ begins to formulate a plan. He’s pretty sure he still has the phone number of his friend who produces short films. Sure, it wouldn’t be as easy as asking Bowie to write a song. But anything was worth it if it made Cyrus smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I'd love comments to let me know what you think!


End file.
